backyardbbq | Oh shit it's memory loss time

Oh shit it's memory loss time

The room Kon awoke in was pretty large for a bedroom. It was rectangular, and much longer than it was wide. The bed he was in was on the left wall, with a desk and a chair placed at the foot of his bed facing said wall, and a cabinet of some sort even further down from that. He didn't see much else beyond that- his head was throbbing, and as soon as he sat up he flinched in pain and cradled his forehead in one hand. If he had taken the time to look, though, he would have found that the other side of the room was a mirror image of his own, and that someone else was in that bed as well.

From what he was able to see, though, he could tell one thing for certain: this place was not familiar to him. He couldn't say why, though, other than the fact that he couldn't ever remember being there before. But then again, as he thought about it some more, he couldn't really remember anything. Not where he had lived, not who his family was, not even who he was! All he had in his mind was one thing: a name.

His name, he figured. Though 'Kon' sounded like a strange name to him. Definitely an uncool name, though he couldn't remember why he didn't like it.

He didn't have much time to dwell on the lack of memories, though. Within a minute of him waking up, the far wall began to act like a projection screen, showing the image of a middle-aged woman. This woman was as unfamiliar to Kon as this room was, but he decided that he couldn't really trust his gut feelings when he didn't have the memories to back it up.

The woman on the screen spoke in a firm, yet neutral voice as she gave a rather long pre-recorded speech.

"Greetings. You probably do not remember who I am, as our mind-wipes are very thorough, but we have met before. You have been accepted into Interplanetary Special Forces, and charged with the sole task of completing any challenges that we cannot complete on our own. You are just two of the many extra-ordinary people who have come to us, offering your services in our centuries-long struggle against our enemies. In order to ensure your cooperation and best efforts, we have removed all of your memories, to ensure that you fulfill your contract. Once the terms of your contract have been met, all of your memories will be returned, and you will be granted your payment.

"The very nature of war has changed. Instead of engaging in long, bloody battles, warring nations participate in games. Conditions are set ahead of time, and territory is wagered, with the victor claiming the spoils. Over the coming months, you will participate in many tasks, ranging from the mundane to the dangerous, all for the sake of the I.S.F. For each victory, a portion of your memories will be returned. In addition, all food, housing, and other needs will be provided to you, free of charge.

"You will participate in these war games in teams of two. Your partner, who is seated across from you, will be your lifeblood. You will need to work together in order to regain your memories and earn your payment.

"Your first task will begin in an hour. Take this time to get to know your teammate, and when the hour has passed, step through the doorway and follow the green path on the ground to the waiting shuttle. Remember: your partner is the only person you can trust while inside the games. Learn to rely on them, and let them rely on you."

With that, the message clicked off the screen, and the wall went back to normal.

Kon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was all of this real? Had he really agreed to all of this? He couldn't remember a thing from before waking up, besides his name, so it was possible that it was all true. But how could he trust this woman?

With so many questions, all Kon could do was look to the person to his right. If the woman on the screen had been telling the truth, then this person was in the same boat as him. Maybe, out of everyone here, this would be the person he could actually trust.

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He woke before his roommate, keenly aware that the other soul in the room was awake before they even made a sound. Not that he was paying much attention to this fact as he again scrubbed his hands over his eyes, wishing away the throbbing ache behind his skull. He shifted his weight slowly so as not to set off the mind-numbing dizziness that came with the headache, slipping off the bed to straighten the covers in silence.

The bed was made neatly with methodical precision, and he had a feeling that he had done this before, though the memory was unclear to him. Yet he stood beside his bed--his bed? He felt it safe to assume that this was his bed, anyway, as he had woken up in it--with a sense of calm satisfaction, knowing that the covers had been folded in proper pleats and neat and proper.

Again, he ran his fingers over his eyes, the coolness of his hands against his warm forehead somewhat soothing against the pervading nothingness of his mind.

And that was what it was, wasn't it? Nothingness. The more he wondered where he was, why he was here, anything, he found nothing. Tendrils of darkness felt like they wound their way through his mind, mangling memories so that the only thing that was clear was his name: Death the Kid.

Which, really. Was that even a name? It didn't sound quite like a name. Yet, when the words flickered across his memory they came with an acute knowledge that they referred to him and him alone.

Death the Kid was appropriately snapped to attention when the video turned on.

As it clicked off, he turned his gaze to the aforementioned partner on the left side of the room. Fingers again, running through his hair--no, not through his hair, but scrubbing at the side of his head over odd white stripes that he couldn't see and therefore could not acknowledge.

"Well then. Hello."

"...hi."

In a way, Kon was a little disappointed by the kid standing in front of him. If he had to be paired with someone, why couldn't it be a hot chick? They had to live together, work together, do pretty much everything together...and he had to get stuck with a guy. A stiff of a guy, by the looks of it.

For a moment, Kon wondered if he could request another partner, but as quickly as that thought came to him he dismissed it. Even if he could somehow reach whoever had put them in this situation, there was no guarantee that they would even listen to Kon's request. And as serious as 'my partner is not hot' was to Kon, he wasn't so sure that anyone else would find it serious.

So, with a resigned sigh, Kon finally lifted himself out of the bed. His head was still throbbing, but it sounded like they would be on the move soon, so he didn't have the luxury of laying around.

He didn't even bother to make his bed, though. No, he just left it a mess, with the covers half-falling off.

"So," he said as he jabbed his thumb in the direction of where the message had been played, "Pretty crazy, huh? I guess you don't remember anything either?"

He doesn't know why, but that bed is bothering him. A lot. Golden eyes trail to the wall, and then back to the stranger standing across from him. And then back to the wall. Was it the absence of memory that was bothering him? That seemed rational enough; humans want to have their memories. He should want to have his memories.

"No. I don't remember anything but a name. And it really isn't a proper name, either."

Kid's eyes fall back on the bed, and he frowns. It's a bed. In the grand scheme of issues that are currently pressing, a sloppy bed should be far at the bottom of the list. If it made the list at all. And yet, he couldn't help it.

"You ought to tidy that up. If you aren't..."

It doesn't matter if Kon isn't, in that moment, as he's taken with a sudden insatiable urge to fix it himself. Kid crosses the room in a few steps and makes quick work of fixing the tangled mass of sheets and blankets, frowning. It takes little time and he finishes.

He feels relieved when the bed is properly made. The anxiety gripping him alleviated, he swallows, feeling his mouth dry. Something about that seemed not right. That wasn't normal behavior, was it?

The way the stranger is looking at him, Kid assumes it probably is not.

"I apologize. It...I don't know why. It needed to be in proper order."

"Well, then we're both members of the 'weird names' group-"

Yeah, that is not normal at all. It's so not-normal that Kon just stops mid-sentence and stares as Kid tidies up his bed. He's not particularly attached to the bed, so it's not really bothersome that someone is invading his space (in fact, he gets the feeling that he's used to sharing space with others, as he's not bugged by the presence of someone else at all), but it's still weird.

This guy must be a neat freak or something.

Any normal person probably would have left it at that, or tried asking Kid about it. Kon is not normal, though, and his thought process goes in a very different direction.

Kon steps back about three steps, over to by his desk. He grabs his chair, and he scoots it over to the middle of the room. But he turns it at an angle, so it's not evenly in the middle of the room. Then he watches Kid, to see what he does.

It's not malicious, Kon is just curious. This is for science. Really.

He is aware that Kon is looking at him strangely. Staring. He opens his mouth to protest, apologize, something, but is silenced before the words even start by Kon stepping away from him. Kid watches him approach the desk, grab the chair, drag it towards the center of the room and place it askew.

Again without his control, he finds himself distressed by this act. Kid searches his mind for some reason that this would make sense, but nothing comes. His memory remains as empty as it has been since he awoke.

Kid scratches his head, fingers twining in the white stripes in his hair, frowning, his eyes going from the chair at his desk to the chair in the center of the room. This time, he doesn't even offer a pretense of asking. He takes the chair and places it back at the desk, and then retreats to his side of the room, clearly distressed and still unsure as to why.

"We're supposed to be partners, aren't we? I would...appreciate if you didn't do that."

Do what? exactly? It's irrelevant. Extraneous. He couldn't place a finger on why, but he wanted the room in order. No. Want wasn't correct. He needed the room to be in order.

"Please."

Kon is not entirely sure why he even did that. Just the bed-making alone should have been enough for him to tell that Kid liked things obsessively neat. And yet, just as Kid had felt that inescapable urge to put things back where they belonged, Kon felt the urge to mess with things for the sake of being a bother.

It's probably an annoying habit, and Kon realizes that it is something that will get him in trouble if he keeps doing it. But there's something satisfying about annoying people. Something about goading reactions out of people makes him want to keep doing it, and Kid has just given him the perfect ammunition.

But as fun as it sounds, Kon stops himself. For now. If they really do have to go do some game in less than an hour, then stressing out his partner won't help.

"Alright, alright," Kon says finally, holding his hands up in defeat, "I'll knock it off." For now. "I'm guessing I'll find out what's up with that once you get your memories back."

"You and me both, I imagine."

It's a simple admission, but as sure as Kid's insatiable desire to set things right in the room was odd to Kon, the need was perplexing to him as well. Kid remained on his side of the room, eyeballing the space between them warily as if expecting it to fall into disarray again.

"The woman in the video said we are to be partners in the coming tasks."

Kid frowns. Everything seems foreign. Strange. Do they know each other? Perhaps they've been acquainted before, and he simply can't remember. It would fall in place with everything else he doesn't remember, anyway.

"What is your name?"

Even if the stranger said his name was odd, somehow Kid had a feeling that 'Death the Kid' was not a normal human name. Something about that thought itself sent a prickling electricity through his blank slate of a mind, as if there was a knowledge there that remained just out of reach.

Truthfully, Kon felt more unsure about the tasks themselves than being partnered up with anyone. Something about the way the woman had described them, saying they were an alternative to war, it made Kon wary. He didn't need his memories to know that he didn't like the idea of people getting hurt, either. He's hoping there's no actual fighting, as he's not sure he could do it.

"Kon," he answers, still partially sidetracked with thoughts of what was to come, "And I dunno the meaning of it, either. Like, I get the feeling that names are supposed to have meanings? But I don't know what mine is."

It's probably something important to who he is. Maybe it's tied to his memories somehow?

"How about you? You said your name was weird too."

"Death the Kid."

He pauses and frowns.

"I don't know that it's really a name. It certainly doesn't sound like one, does it?"

Kid fidgets, his expression blank. Out loud, the 'name' seemed even stranger than it had in his head. Yet it remained something that flickered through his mind as distinctly his.

He glances to the wall across the room, just noticing the clock. Kid realized then that he had taken note of the time when the video was playing. Their awkward conversation had lasted ten minutes thus far, leaving them fifty more to go.

Kid wondered if they would be physical, intellectual, or both. Or perhaps something else entirely.

"We've only got fifty minutes to go."

He approached the dresser, pulling open the drawers to find plain changes of clothes, all similar to what he had on now. Kid then shifted his focus to the desk, displeased to find no further information there. No instructions, no information. Nothing.

"She could spare the details. There's nothing here to explain what we're to be doing."

Edited 2014-08-04 05:13 (UTC)

"Is 'Kid' alright? Because 'Death the Kid' is a mouthful to say all the time."

At least Kon is honest.

When Kid starts to look around, Kon figures he might as well too. Maybe searching will turn up a clue! So while Kid checks the drawers and the desk, Kon moves further down, checking the other end of the room.

After the dressers, the room narrows, leaving two small outcroppings on either side. On one side is a small area, open to the rest of the room, with a sink and a stacked washer-dryer, as well as some storage cupboards. It doesn't look like they can use anything here to cook food, so meals must be provided for them somewhere else. Apparently they are responsible for their own laundry, though, as when Kon opens one of the cupboards he finds some laundry soap and dryer sheets.

Next Kon goes to the other side, Kid's side of the room, and checks there. Instead of being open to the room, this outcropping is closed off, with a door leading to it. Kon opens it and peeks in, and he finds a small bathroom, complete with toilet, sink, and stand-up shower. The entire room is tiled, even the floor, which stands out from the smooth, unidentifiable material that the rest of the floors are made of.

Kon steps back into the room just as Kid says that last part. "Maybe we'll get an explanation on our way to wherever we're going," he suggests, shutting the bathroom door behind him, "It sounds like everything here is given out on a need-to-know basis."

When he looks back down the room, that's when he finally notices the window, placed on the wall between their two beds. It's square, and just big enough to cover the gap between the two beds, and it goes from about four and a half feet off the ground to about six feet up, making it a long, horizontal rectangle. It does not seem to open, though, as there are no latches on it.

Kon is more interested in looking outside, though. As soon as he steps over and peers out, he goes "Woah!"

Wherever they are, it's in a huge city teeming with life. Their room is high up on whatever building they are in, too, because Kon can see past blocks and blocks of buildings of various heights. Different kinds of vehicles are zooming by (that feels wrong, it feels like cars shouldn't be able to fly at all), and it just seems so...big. And full of people.

Kid continued to poke around the desk, finding a notebook and pen--blank, of course--and not much else. There were no books, no information. Nothing. His gaze trailed to the clock again with a frown, and then to the floor, as he listened to Kon walk around the room.

He thought he liked the tiles. They were nice and neat looking. Clean. And--

His gaze shot up when he heard Kon exclaim something by the window, and he crossed over to the window quickly. Shorter, Kid needn't squish himself to be able to see out the window himself, and frowned when he did so.

People, and cars, buildings all over the place of different heights and widths (really, how hideous. Why couldn't they have all been made to look the same? It would be so much more orderly.) But that wasn't all.

"W...what?"

To Kid's eyes, as he focused on the general commotion taking place outside, he could spy--no, sense? Sense might be a better term--small round orbs of energy. Lots of them. Endless amounts of them. And with these little glowing orbs came some sense of knowledge about the person to which they seemed to belong: anxious. Happy. Busy. Tired.

He stepped back suddenly, surprised, bumping into Kon as he did so. Settling his gaze on his partner, he realized once again that he could sense the same lit orb of energy. Kid scrubbed his eyes, blinking, trying to clear the image from them, and it passed. If he didn't focus, it seemed, he could be free of the strange glowing polka-dots.

Had Kon asked him something? He had. He'd asked if Kid was okay to call him.

"Kid? Oh...yes. Kid would be okay. Death the Kid is a little...long, isn't it?"

Try not to sound crazy. Sound normal. Relax. He swallowed hard, and looked around the room. "I didn't see anything else of use, by the way. Just a few notebooks, pens. No information."

See, Kon figures that the reason Kid backed up so suddenly was because of how crazy-huge everything was and how many people were out there, so he doesn't even question how surprised Kid looks there for a moment. It has to be because of what Kon sees too, not because of weird soul-seeing powers.

Kon steps to the side, so that Kid could have his space too (since bumping into him clearly means that he is taking up too much room by the window), but he keeps looking outside. Something is still wrong about all of this. He just can't figure out what it is.

"Say," he says finally, "That video, it mentioned a war, right? Do you think that means we have to fight? Maybe that's why they're not telling us anything yet?"

"I hope not. I can't remember much of anything...I don't imagine I'd be much use in a fight."

Kid glances up at Kon with a small frown. He has this sensation that looking up isn't unusual for him, but he wonders how exactly he would be of any use fighting when he is so small compared to his assigned partner.

"I don't think I would willingly volunteer for this debaucle. Not that I have anything to base that observation on."

Kid smoothes the shirt he has on with a small frown. "None of this seems right, but I imagine it's been set up like this for a reason."

Without his memories, Kon couldn't say for sure if he would have signed up for this or not. He wants to say he wouldn't, because who would want to lose all of their memories like this? But at the same time, he didn't feel like he was trapped.

"The lady mentioned a reward," Kon pints out, "Maybe that has something to do with it. Whatever it is, it must've been worth going through all of this."

They would get their answer soon, though. Before too long, a large clock appears on the far wall, just above the exit door. This clock starts at fifteen minutes, and it counts down from there. "I guess that's our warning," Kon says, and he finally steps away from the window, "Are you ready? For whatever we're about to face, I mean."

Kon isn't so sure he's ready, but he can at least act confident.

"I suppose I don't have a choice either way."

Again he tugged at the plain shirt, feeling oddly incomplete. The outfit was simple and, he supposed appropriate, for whatever tasks may come: a plain white top and plain black slacks. He only noticed then the thin yellow stripe wrapped around each sleeve. It certainky wasn't to his taste, but he accepted it as it matched bilaterally. Everything in the dresser had seemed similar.

Kid approached the plain door, which continued to a plain appearing hall though again he spotted a thin yellow arrow, directing them.

"I think this yellow is for us."

To emphasize his point, he addressed the yellow stripe on the shirt and then the stripe on the wall. As such, he follow the given instructions until the came upon a door which, seeing as he imagined there wasn't a damn thing he could do in a fight, he supposed he would open so he could help.

And promptly stared.

The room was into what appeared to be thirds. Uneven thirds. Kid's breath hitched, stepping aside to allow Kon in.

"...After you "

Well this is a little ridiculous, Kon thinks. waist-high walls? And that middle one is hanging from he roof, meaning they get to crawl under it. Or crouch and walk under it, in Kid's case.

"Man, what is this mess," Kon mutters as he steps in. He is clearly unimpressed by this. There's a door at the end, after the three walls, with a timer set for one minute right above it.

But before he goes further, he grins and looks back at Kid as he points to the first wall. "Need me to lift you over that one," he says, trying not to snicker too much at his own joke.

See, because Kid is short, and the wall is like three feet tall.

"No."

It's just walls, isn't it? He shouldn't be so bothered by three walls in a room--that's ridiculous. Kon certainly seems fine.

So Kid obviously struggled with the reconciliation of what he understood to be ridiculous and what he actually felt.

"They're hideous."

The words come before he even processes them, before his mind can even make sense of what he's saying. Even as he says it he knows he must sound insane, but he just can't. Compounded with the headache, the walls themselves made him feel sick to his stomach.

"...I don't..."

Okay. Just walls, right? Just walls. Kid screws his eyes shut, following the pattern he knew he had seen, and climbs over the first (with no trouble, by the way.)

On the other side of the wall, things seem better, but Kid keeps his eyes screwed shut. Out of sight, our of mind. Or something.

[ooc: it is super Kon's turn to have a moment lol x_x I knew your idea was for obstacles specific to them but I don't know Kon so I wasn't sure what'd be next.]

Kon is actually a little worried about Kid. This seems like the simplest thing ever, and yet Kid looks like he's about to throw up or something. Does he have claustrophobia or something? Or is something else bothering him?

But Kon realizes that he can't have Kid getting sick like this. They're teammates, right? So Kon needs to help Kid get through this, if it's making him sick.

Kon easily hops over the first wall, and then he crouches down next to Kid. Then he reaches over to take Kid's hand and move it to where it can touch his shoulder.

"Keep your eyes shut if you're getting sick," he says, "Just follow me, and I'll get us out of here."

Kid nods slightly, gripping at the fabric of Kon's shirt and following his lead. In his mind, he can remember the layout of the room, where they're supposed to be headed. And Kon is blessedly attentive and does mention something when it's time to duck, or climb, or whatever.

So Kid follows instructions, because he's good at that. It's easy to do what he's being guided to do, so that is what he does.

When Kon stops, Kid hesitantly opens one eye halfway.

"Thank you."

Something about being told 'thank you' makes Kon feel warm and fuzzy inside. It wasn't something he was expecting (for reasons unknown, at least until he gets his memories back), so getting recognition feels nice.

He smiles back at Kid, once they reach the door on the other side of the room. "Hey, it's no problem. We're supposed to help each other, right?"

And Kid will get the chance to repay the favor soon enough, because the next room consists of a long, narrow path spread over a huge gap. Balance itself isn't a problem for Kon, but there's swinging pillars that go flying over the path every now and then. They appear to be random to Kon, but that's because he's too impatient to notice any pattern to their swinging.

"How the hell are we supposed to do this?!"

Kid smiles, noticing but being unconcerned by the swinging pillars at first. "Of course. What good would partners be if they didn't help? Of course, three would be better than--"

He's cut off by Kon's exclamation regarding the swinging pillars, stepping forward to keep his partner from going on.

He couldn't remember much of anything. But his still analytical mind could pick up the pattern of each swinging pillar. Right, ten seconds, and then left for ten seconds. Each offset the pillar before it by just a few seconds, maybe by thirty seconds at the most. It was easy. He hardly he'd to think.

He took Kon's wrist, pulling him a step forward.

"Now it's my turn to repay the favor. Just stay close. There's a pattern and we can get through. If we're fast."

As Kid is analyzing the patterns, Kon just stands there, quietly panicking. There doesn't appear to be any kind of floor beneath them, so do they just drop into the abyss if they get knocked off? Would the powers in charge really do that to a person?

For a moment, Kon debates just running and trying to reach the end before the pillars swing back. Nevermind that a normal human wouldn't be able to make it that distance in enough time, maybe he could! But then Kid grabs his hand and suddenly there's a plan of some sort.

"Okay," Kon says hesitantly, "But if we get knocked off, I'm blaming you."

Not that they would have much time to blame each other, if that really was a long fall into nothingness. The shock and force of the fall would render them unconscious in seconds.

"Duly noted."

Standing at the start of the thin ledge, Kid hesitates, gaze again tracking the pattern. There was no break between each pillar. It was only about halfway through that there was any sort of respite from the danger. And as for the ledge, it was too narrow for them to traverse side-by-side. They would have to proceed single file.

"Are you ready? We have to be fast."

Sensing hesitation, Kid starts off, quickly. He surprises himself at his own speed even. And he doesn't stop to think before they've reached the center of the path.

"Look. Halfway there already."

Kon has to trust Kid here. There's not much else he can do, if he just runs wildly he'll get knocked off the ledge. He has no idea what is at the bottom, but it is probably very deadly.

So he runs, staying right behind Kid, though oddly enough he finds himself going a bit too fast, so fast that, despite how fast Kid is going, he would be bumping into Kid if he didn't slow down. Which is really weird, so he pulls himself back a bit to try to just keep pace with Kid.

When they reach the middle, Kon nods at Kid. "Yeah, I think we can make it," he says, "Just...do the figuring-out-thingy again and I think we can make it."

Hopefully. Kon doesn't want to die before he figures out just who he is.

Kid only needs a moment or so to think through. The pattern is easy enough. He grabs Kon's wrist again, tugging him along as they go. It's quick again and he can feel himself rushing--trying to keep pace with Kon who is clearly faster, trying to keep ahead of the pillars themselves as well. This path was longer and more convoluted...passable, but not as easy.

When they reach the other end, he releases Kon's wrist and glances back at the path. Sighing with relief, he smooths wrinkles from his shirt compulsively.

"See? We made it across." Kid smiles lopsidedly.

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Oh shit it's memory loss time

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It's okay, I got the next one |Db and we could alternate obstables too?

Too sweet, Kon

|Db

Re: |Db

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